Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1887-04-28
A VIGOROUS DEFENSE.
Inc Interstate Commission Explain
the law and Lecture its Opponents.

| aA.A Aeceure 'ts opponents.
WASHINGTON, April 1s.-Thc fol.
, lowing is a synopsis embodying the
material points in by far the most i'm.
portant action yet taken by the inter
state commerce commission. A decision
is rendered in the case of two petitions,
that OF the Order of Railroad Conduc.
tors and that of the Trades and Travel.
ers Union, which are of the kind tba.
render the decision especially interesting
on account of there being representatives
of very large number of applications
made to the commission. The latter
petition deals with the manner in which
the former system of allowing additional
free baggage has been nterfered with by
the interstate bill, The petition of the
railway conductors asks for information
as to the proper Interpretation of the
law as applying to issuing passes to rail
road employees and their families and
those making the railway service their
business while temporarily out of en-. ploy.
ment and in search Of situations, and il
transportation at reduced rates is provid.
ed for representatives of any one associa-
ton must the same be extended to all
Others which are composed exclusively of
railroad employees. In its reply the
commission says: "a carlul reading of
the 'act to regulate commerce., under
which the commission is organized, will
show the petitioners and others who have
made similar applications that no juris-
diction has been given us to answer qucs
tion like these under consideration.
Two sections of the law confer power
upon the commission to entertain and
decide applications and petitions. Sec
ton 4 empowers us, upon application by
a common carrier, to authorize such
common carrier in special cases to
charge less for longer than shorter dis
tances over the same line; and also to
prescribe the extent of relief from the
operation of the former port of the same
section which the designated common
carrier may from time to time enjoy.
1t is obvious that applications like those
OF tho railway conductors and the
Trades and Travellers Union have no
relation whatever to the duties imposed
upon US by section 4, aud this is the
only section Of the law which the com.
mission has power to suspend or relax.
Section l3 authorizes complaints to the
commission, and confers jurisdiction to
entertain the same. But neither the
railway conductors nor the Trades and
Travellers Urion complain that any
common carrier has violated the law
They present no complaint of anything
done or omitted from the provisions Of
the law. If railway company should
issue pass to a conductor and his fami.
ly to attend the approaching convention,
or should they transport 800 lbs Of free
baggage for commercial traveller, under
registry and indemnity system, and some
person, feeling aggrieved, should make
a complaint of unjust discrimination, il
would be then proper for the commission
to entertain a question of whether the
case of the conductors was or was not .
violation of the law and, if 90, whether it
is or not within the exception As stated
within section %. Complaints may also
be presented if charges made by carriers
are not considered reasonable and lust.
But until questions Of this kind come
before US in way clearly indicated BY
the statute, it would be worse than use.
less for US to express our opinion or give
advice. We should not only lay our